Stars Ascendancy
The Stars Ascendancy, also known as the Tauren Ascendancy, or simply the Ascendancy, was created shortly after the fall of the Seresian Confederacy at the height of the war known as the Great Tauren War between five warring factions and resistance groups within the Midtaura Sector; the Aiurlan Imperium, Gadian Sovereignty, Kal-Mari Protectorate, the Seresian Confederacy, and eventually the Tauren Ascendancy. It is a stellar empire of seventy-six planets, five core worlds called the Nexus Worlds, seventeen mid-worlds called the Prime Worlds, and fifty-four frontier worlds known as the Terminus Worlds. It is ruled by the Diadem who resides on the capital world of Taura. =History= Origins The origins of the Stars Ascendancy stem from the Seresian Resistance, a “terrorist” faction which emerged when the Seresian Confederacy put down a rebellion against them on their capital world of Seresia. At the time of the rebellion, the Confederacy was at war on three fronts, working aggressively to conquer its neighboring star systems that belonged to the Aiurlan Imperium, the Gadian Sovereignty, and the Kal-Mari Protectorate. Though they were proving to be successful in their campaign against their enemies, the Seresian government still suffered from its own internal discontent as the general public protested the decade long war. The Confederate attempts to weaken the insurrection at the time backfired when they assassinated their first leader who was replaced by Mandolus Haekrades. He proved to be an even greater and far more effective leader than his predecessor, which proved devastating to the Confederacy. When Haekrades forged an alliance with the Gadian Sovereignty for military aid in return for INTEL on Confederate forces, the Seresian Confederacy ruthlessly hunted down the resistance group on Seresia. Millions were slaughtered in what became known as the Seresian Massacre. The enemies of the Confederacy were even incensed and shocked at the holocaust that occurred by the hands of the Seresian government and were appalled by their audacious actions against its own citizens. Mandolus ordered all the survivors of the resistance that managed to elude execution squads and were able to escape Seresia to head for Gadian space, which they arrived successfully and were escorted to Gadian leadership. On the capital world of the Gadian Sovereignty, Haekrades worked to devise a plan to retake and reform the Seresian government. The Gadians, who were in favor of uniting all four factions, collaborated with the Seresian Resistance. As the grand war waged on, Haekrades made his move to retake the Seresian government. The resistance movement journeyed to Seresia with a large fleet of its own which was backed by two other fleets operated by the Gadian Navy. On the third day of the fourth month of the eleventh year of the war, the Resistance Fleet and two Gadian fleets existed out of hyperspace and proceeded to conquer Seresia. Reformation Following a successful invasion of Seresia, Haekrades ensured that the leaders of the Confederacy were properly dealt with as he secured the capital and declared a new government that would be dedicated to the people and whose mission would be to unifying the four warring factions. On the tenth day of the fourth month, the Stars Ascendancy was officially established. The Gadian Sovereignty declared itself apart of the Ascendancy and moved to act on behalf of the recently appointed ruler of the new interstellar empire, Diadem Haekrades. The war continued on for two more years until it finally came to a conclusion as all four parties united and reorganized the Stars Ascendancy into an even greater and stronger empire. The government was relocated to the world of Taura that was identified as having been the homeworld of all four factions at the time of the Great Exodus. Initially, citizens of the Ascendancy referred to themselves by whatever planet they were born on and there was thus no single unifying term for all the citizens of the Ascendancy. A historian of a prestigious university, coined the term the “Great Tauren War” in a statement that was meant to be a practical joke, but was taken seriously by a group of scholars who eventually began to use the title. Ultimately it became the official name of the war and in due course citizens began to recognize one another as Taurens. Golden Age While Earth came to an end of its second world war, the Taurens experienced a golden age under the rule of Diadem Jenia Kurhall. Under her rule, the twenty-two worlds of the Ascendancy thrived at incredible heights. She became the first Diadem to officially permit and sanction colonization of fifty-four worlds in the Terminus Zone. Under her rule and care, the Terminus Worlds grew and flourished under her leadership as millions flocked to the frontier worlds, many eager for adventure, others traveling to start a new, and some dreaming of fame and glory. During this era, the Ascendancy witnessed a massive population growth which helped contribute to the length of the golden age which lasted until the Tau’ri year of 1987 A.D. Civil Unrest and Civil War An intense and charismatic politician of royal blood, Lord Natharis Mandervil, began an active campaign to abolish the offices of royalty, including the Diadem's, as he preached that the offices of hereditary and the royal families had become corrupted and consumed by their power and wealth. As time passed, Lord Mandervil urged for stronger methods of activism from his followers. In response to his request, political rallies ensued across many cities on dozens of worlds, many protestors calling for the royal families of the Ascendancy to step down and give up their hereditary titles. Seeing this as not only a threat to themselves but a risk to the security of the government, the Diadem and the Lords of Ascendancy stripped Mandervil of his title and power, arrested him for treason, and placed him under house arrest. Witnessing their leader captured by the very corrupted government that he served, the Reformist Party declared itself as an independent nation known as the Tauren Federation from the Stars Ascendancy. Controlling at least elven worlds in the Terminus Zone, the Reformists cut all ties from the interstellar government and began to prepare themselves for war. On many more worlds, riots erupted across numerous cities on planets throughout the Ascendancy. On Mandervil’s homeworld, the riots that broke out in the cities were ruthlessly suppressed. As a precautionary measure, the Ascendancy strengthened the security surrounding Mandervil’s estate. However, they were no match for veteran mercenary operatives hired by the Federation to free and return Mandervil to them in one piece alive. The war that followed between the Stars Ascendancy and the Tauren Federation became known as the Tauren Civil War which lasted no more than five years with trial and execution of Natharis Mandervil and the collapse of the Tauren Federation. The worlds that were or partook in the Federation’s cause were harshly punished. By 2004 A.D. of Earth’s year, these worlds were forgiven of all injustices and were given aid to heal the scars caused during the war. There are many citizens in the Terminus Zone who still harbor ill thoughts and prejudice toward those who they feel betrayed them, in many cases the government.